Hi, I’m Anna Marijn, mother of 2 kids and entrepreneur. I always dreamed of traveling and working at the same time, but I thought this was not for me. Without a background in marketing or sales, it seemed impossible, so I chose a different route: working in the hospitality industry abroad. This way I could travel while paying my bills. This was great, but all good things come to an end, and corona forced me to return to the Netherlands.
First I went into salaried employment, an office job, because that seemed great. So that was less fun than I thought and since 2022 I have been working as a virtual assistant, training other women to do the same and living with my family in our dream spot in Spain. The best choice!
The desire for freedom
My first steps toward a travel life were not business at all. I worked in Curaçao, Mallorca, in Austria and Australia in the hospitality industry. I even peeled bulbs in New Zealand. It gave me the freedom to explore the world. Together with my boyfriend I also made a wonderful trip around the world. Back in the Netherlands, I decided to go into paid employment and worked at a large traffic school in Amsterdam.
On paper, it was a good job: security, steady income and structure. But on the inside, it began to fray.
When I became pregnant with our son, that feeling became stronger. I couldn’t imagine that this was the life I wanted him to live: always rushing, little flexibility and depending on fixed work hours. I longed for freedom, for being able to decide what my days looked like and for work that I could do anywhere in the world. That’s how I discovered work as a virtual assistant.
My work as a virtual assistant
In my work, I am a real jack-of-all-trades. I mainly work with long-term collaborations, supporting entrepreneurs with administrative tasks and automations. Also providing structure and thinking along at the operational level. I also train other women who also want to become virtual assistants. Many of them, like me then, long for freedom and flexibility, but think it is not for them. Thanks to my own business, we were able to take the step to emigrate to Spain with our family.
My work week as a VA
My work week varies, but I usually work 25-40 hours a week. My workdays start early. I get up between five and six in the morning, even before the children wake up. Those hours are golden: in peace and quiet I can work, plan and think. It requires discipline, but it gives me space later in the day. Around eight o’clock we have breakfast together as a family. That moment is fixed. Then either my boyfriend or I take the kids out, depending on our schedule.
Around two in the afternoon they are back home and we often take turns working. That way there is always room for the children and for our work. Around four o’clock we fold the laptops. We then walk together the nature reserve next to our house or go to work in the garden. Those are the moments when I feel why we chose this life.
Discovering the world as an online entrepreneur
In recent years, we have traveled a lot. We discovered Japan with our toddler, spending five weeks traveling the country by train. Japan was a huge surprise: so different, so beautiful and incredibly accessible with a child. Highly recommended! We also lived in Bali for three months, went away a lot with our camper and now we are enjoying our dream life in Spain.
A tip for those who want to travel: look carefully at what you can save on. We always drove used cars and suspended them temporarily during trips, so we didn’t have any fixed expenses. During our time in Bali, we cancelled childcare and lived on a grocery budget, which made us more creative with money and food. With every expense, ask yourself: is this really necessary, or would I rather travel sooner?
Living outside your bubble
Perhaps what travel has brought me the most is relatability. When you stay in one environment for a long time, you quickly live in a bubble. You take certain norms, expectations and problems for granted. By traveling, you see that life can be arranged in so many different ways.
Those experiences have taught me to choose more consciously. Not everything has to be faster, bigger or better, travel has broadened my outlook.
What feels big in the Netherlands turns out to be small elsewhere. You see how people live with less stuff. How parenting, work and success look different everywhere.
Advantages and challenges of remote working
The biggest advantage of working remotely? Freedom. Freedom to schedule your own work week, watch the kids grow up, discover new countries and decide where you live. It has also changed me personally: I feel more independent, confident and aware in my choices.
Challenges are also there, of course. Sometimes it’s hard to separate work and home, especially when you’re in a dream spot. You also have to plan well and think ahead, especially with travel and the family. And having your own business does not stop, constantly new ideas and a lot of work can also be a lot at times. But with a good routine and clear agreements with clients, it is easy to keep up;).
Tips for those who also want to work and travel remotely
- Start small: find a flexible field of work or start as a virtual assistant. You don’t have to have a full-time remote job right away to discover if it suits you.
- Travel smart: see how you can cut costs, such as used vehicles, temporarily suspending subscriptions or budgeting for groceries.
- Plan your work week: make sure you have set blocks in which you work and set times for family and travel.
- Choose destinations deliberately: Japan is great with kids, the train is efficient and you see a lot in a short time.
- Be flexible and creative: sometimes not everything goes as planned, but that is precisely what makes the adventure fun.
Future plans and my bucket list
For now, we are enjoying our life in Spain, with our family, work and travel close to home. First on the schedule right now is redecorating our house (I’m currently feeling like an episode of “I’m leaving”). But our bucket list is waiting with countries like Canada, rediscovering Australia and a road trip through the United States!
Want to follow me? Then check out my Instagram here: and my Loyal Office Support website.
More inspiration about people working online:
Van loondienst naar volledige vrijheid: Zo word je Virtual Assistent
Van Lapland tot Japan: wereldwijd werken als gids en digital nomad
